Halifax organisation amplifies the voices of women and girls, using money seized from criminals

3rd March 2023

Halifax organisation amplifies the voices of women and girls, using money seized from criminals

In the run up to International Women’s Day, Calderdale-based community organisation, Verd de Gris Arts, has directed cash seized from criminals into an event exploring the issues that impact women and girls in West Yorkshire.

Thanks to funding from the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin’s, Safer Communities Fund, 80 attendees were brought together today (03/03) to listen to the powerful stories of women who have experienced domestic abuse, financial hardship, and depression. 

Planned and devised by the organisation’s ‘One Voice’ women’s group, delegates at the ‘Hear us! We are the change’ event, heard the group’s journeys of recovery, and held vital discussions about how the region can empower women and address some of the key issues affecting their safety.  

West Yorkshire’s Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE, spoke at the event, and shared her experiences working to tackle violence against women and girls.

Deputy Mayor Lowe said:

“The safety of women and girls in West Yorkshire is a central pillar of the Mayor’s Police and Crime Plan.

“To achieve this goal, not only do we need to listen to the lived experiences of women and girls, we must learn from them too.

“This event encapsulates our vision – hear us, our voices will not be dulled, and together, we can make that change.”

Sharon Marsden, co-founder of Verd de Gris Arts said:

“Today we have brought together policy makers, decision makers, funders, and most importantly women with lived experience who are posing the questions and directing the event, with confidence, creativity and vibrancy.

“The Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund has enabled us to hold this event and have a conversation on how we can build on this kind of work, take a different approach, and work together to bring about change.”

Saalihah, a member of the One Voice group said:

“To become empowered, we have been allowed to push through the hard earth that held our brokenness.

“Verd de Gris Arts creates the grounds where we find true cultivation, a place where we grow, bloom, and blossom!

“This conference is an important opportunity for us, it’s a platform where we will be able to showcase our empowerment work, be seen, and be heard!” 

Using money recovered by police and prosecutors from criminal activities, Mayor Brabin has channelled over £1 million into community projects working to make West Yorkshire safer through her Safer Communities Fund.

Over £500,000 has been directed into projects working to keep women and girls safe, including self-defence classes in Wakefield, a healthy relationships programme for students in Leeds, and mental health support for women in Kirklees.

Find out more about Verd de Gris Arts on their website.